 The "furca" refers to the gallows for hanging men; the "fossa" (‘pit’) was a ditch for the drowning of women.Together, they were ‘pit and gallows’.With the introduction to Scotland of the feudal system in the 12th century, pre-feudal Celtic tenures were transformed into holding from the Crown, and a number of these were held directly or in chief of the Crown and were held "in liberam baroniam" (in free barony), with high justice (i.e., with pit and gallows).